Q&A and Giveaway: Sefte

Renown for the quality of their luxurious bedding, throws and pillows, Sefte is also known for taking organic linens and eco-friendly practices to the next level, utilizing the skills and abilities of Vietnamese artisans to bring their opulent hand embroidered collections to fruition. Twin sisters Jennifer and Sarah pooled their passions along with “soul sister” Michelle to form this unique company. We welcome Jennifer today, as she gives us the inside scoop on Sefte and her partners:

Tell us how Sefte came to be
Each of us brings something unique to Sefte.

Michelle is a graduate of Rhode Island School of Design, where she actually studied furniture design but secretly lusted after textiles. She spent many years heading up Product Development for Design Within Reach’s bedding collections as well as doing color and trend forecasting. In her spare time, she volunteers at various organizations (including MOMA SF) that help instill the value of the arts and architecture in local teenagers.

For Sarah, the seed that would eventually become Sefte was planted years ago when she served in the Peace Corps in the Dominican Republic. There, she worked closely with artisans and business people financed by micro-loan initiatives, giving her invaluable insight into the nuances of business enterprise within developing nations. Upon returning to the states, Sarah translated her experience to New York’s financial market by working within the Latin American division of a Manhattan based mutual fund company.

For me (Jennifer), the launch of Sefte marks the ultimate culmination of passions and interests. I’d been devoted to the sales and national marketing of luxury textiles for many years. Before that, my passion for the culture and languages of developing nations took me on a two-year development project in Central America to promote bilingual, environmental education for rural Costa Rican children.

Sefte began with Sarah’s love of hand-made pieces, Michelle’s obsession with textile design and my penchant for vintage European linens. It developed into a commitment to the lifestyle that is needed to create all three. A lifestyle that nurtures time to imagine and create by hand, and then allows for the moments to enjoy these creations. A lifestyle in which you take time to read, reflect and dream. Time to whisper, to listen, to relish one another. It is this slower, more elegant way of living life that is inspirational to Sefte and to each piece we create.

Simply put, we want to inspire people to make time.

How did you come to name your company Sefte?
Sefte is the old English word for ‘soft’. Softness was and continues to be our tactile and philosophical inspiration. Each of our pieces is inspired by our desire for people to want to touch these items and layer them with other Sefte pieces. We want our customers to have an overwhelming desire to wrap themselves in Sefte.

We also want people to live more softly. We want to remind them to make time. We believe people should slow down and spend more time connecting with the people they love. We want to encourage togetherness by crafting beautiful, soft, touchable textiles—meant for reading stories, spooning, dreaming, talking and cuddling.

What attracted you to Vietnam and Peru, and how do you give back to those communities?
Our artisans in Peru and Vietnam give soul to our designs. Each piece they create is a work of art, woven or embroidered by hand, by a single artisan. Because they are hand-made, each piece is one-of-a-kind and has a luxuriously heirloom quality.

Our organization of women in Vietnam practices the lost art of intricate hand embroidery which is helping bring both social and financial independence to these women. In Peru we work with an organization called Mirasol Project which translates money from Fairtrade yarn sales into the building and financing of schools for the local alpaca shepherds’ children. We feel it is important to support the traditions that provide such beautiful yarns, and believe it is essential to educate our customers for its historical continuity and cultural development.

Let’s get to know the girls a little better with a “quick-fire” round of questions:

My first job was: Sarah: Health volunteer with The Peace Corps.
Jennifer: Sarah’s lying. We both started our ‘careers’ lifeguarding on the beaches of northern Lake Tahoe, where we grew up. She was stronger, but I was fast. Nobody drowned during our watch.
Michelle: Helping my grandmother in her ceramic studio/ she taught ceramics and I was in charge of helping with the electric kilns and glazes.

I cannot live without: Sarah: Joshua, my 7-month old on my hip and my twin sis by my side.
Jennifer: my new cruiser bike. I’m dying to strap my new nephew, Joshua, to the back of it and cart him all over town.
Michelle: family and friends. They are an essential part of life.

The best advice I ever received is: Sarah: Do one thing a day that scares you.
Jennifer: “Dare greatly.” Courage is one of the qualities I respect and admire most in humanity. I search for it daily in everything I do.
Michelle: follow your dreams and passion. Sometimes the easiest road is not always the right choice, believe in yourself.

A cause I care deeply about is: Sarah: The Nature Conservancy: Jenn and I grew up in Lake Tahoe and spent so much of our lives outside in the mountains. Sefte draws so much of its inspiration from nature. I want to protect it.
Jennifer: volunteerism. I believe everyone should find time to give, unconditionally without any expectation of receiving something in return.
Michelle: volunteering for programs with children.

Wrap yourself up in this giveaway: Prepare to get cozy! Sefte is generously offering a Maya Boucle Throw Blanket in cream to one lucky reader at a value of $440. To enter for a chance to win, leave a comment here or on our Facebook page telling us about one special thing you always slow down to take time for. Contest ends Friday, November 26th at 6pm EST

The one things that I always try nd slow down to do is take a half hour before my daughter goes to bed ay night, snuggle on the couch, watching a show or just talking and see how her day was. Our lives are so crazy with work, activities etc. It’s a special time for us to just connect and catch up.

My husband and I wanted our son to have a bed time routine that was fun but still relaxing. We all snuggle up on our bed and read 2 stories a night before we put him to bed. It’s something we started just after he was born and is so cherished in our home.

I always slow down to take time for my kiddos. Whether it is cuddling on the couch (which this blanket would be perfect for) to watch a movie or sitting down on the floor to play a board game, we always make time to just be together. In fact, yesterday we took time for a slow family walk followed by cuddling on the couch to warm up. (It was cold out there!)

My daughter slows me down. Even though she is a toddler and is in the super busy stage right now, I always have time for her! I think it’s so important to try to be present in the super crazy hyper stimulated world we live in. It can be hard at times but my daughter helps to remind me of the more simple and important things in life!

I don’t have time for much with my crazy life, but I try to take time twice a year to go shopping. No kids, no hubby. Just friends and lots of shopping. Even if we don’t buy much, we have a super fun day out and about!

I always slow down and take time for prayer and thanksgiving. I hate to admit how hard it is to get to that point. I’m a mom of 4 and vert busy! I need prayer in my life and I always take time for it. This time of year always prompts me to remember what I am thankful for. I seem to always remember to pray for things needed – less time being thankful. Thank you for having a contest to share such talent!

I always take 10 minutes from my day to snuggle with my son at the end of the day. After his bath and some bedtime reading provided by his dad, he calls for me so we can have our “snug time.” Sometimes I sing, sometimes we just lay and look at his glowing solar system mobile. Its just our special time and I love it!

I always slow down and take time to listen to my daughter recount the highs and lows of her day. This isn’t always as easy as it sounds since it can happen anytime between homecoming and bedtime, but it’s always worth taking the time to really listen. Letting her open up when she is ready gives me much more than when I ask “How was your day”.

My mornings are always busy. I think I hit the snooze button 3-4 times daily, thus creating a bit of a backlog in the getting-ready process. I’m in a hurry to get out the door and get my day started. There are two things I must do though before getting to the office. One, stop for a chai latte with a shot of espresso. Sometimes I actually enjoy the line because I can stop and take a breather. Two, cuddle with my cats for a minute or two. My cats are always just so happy when my husband and I wake up the morning. I can’t imagine what it will be like one day when we have kiddos.

Well…I have one year old twins myself. My wife and I always take time to snuggle with them individually. It’s so easy to think of them as “one” but we always take the time to think of them as two individuals. :)

I always slow down to take time for my son. He is going to be 15 months next week. We love to sit together while I read him a book or two or three. So, this blanket would be amazing to win.
Thanks for the opportunity.

I have three kids, I’m a stay at home mom and the one thing I do for myself is I read. It takes me to another world. I enjoy just escaping for a bit! Usually it is at night after the kids are all asleep. I would love a new cozy companion (blanket) to cuddle up with on the couch. Because I lost my other one to my oldest. :-) I hope everyone have a wonderful Thanksgiving!!! And Happy Holidays!

I always slow down and take time for my FAMILY! Family is so important around the holidays. It’s about traditions and making memories with your loved ones. I have a toddler, so it’s very important to me to start early with Christmas traditions so he can look forward to them year after year. It’s a busy time, but it’s also a time we need to take the time and spend with our loved ones.

I slow down every morning, with my coffee cup in hand, to read a devotional, read a psalm, and thank God for the blessings in my life! It changes my entire day when I first take the time to see life from a heavenly vantage point.

I always slow down and take time to enter a great contest! :)Haha! And like many others have mentioned, to spend time with my kids each night when they get off the school bus, to hear how their day went.

I always slow down each day and Thank God and my Patron Saint for all the blessings in my life….even though things have been very rough this year with the death of my Mother, Father, and Aunt… and my husband’s job termination. I hold my son tight as I rock him to sleep and cry …and then I try to ponder upon on the good things in my life.

My mom recently passed. And I always took time for her because I knew it was short. Hug, call, take mom out just “because”. I miss my mom. She loved cozy blankets and throws. I’d always get her interesting ones. I’d wrap her and I up in them and just talk. It was a precious time for me. And I won’t ever forget her, each time I cozy up in one.

something i always slow down for is my son… especially right before it’s time to go to bed. i forget the dishes that need to be washed or laundry that needs to be put away. we turn on yo gabba gabba & dance around the house & give each other plenty of hugs & kisses!

I like to slow down and have me, my husband, our daughter (21 now) and our schitz su all up in our King size bed and watch a movie. Right now, already watched is Elf, we love it, or I should say I love it most.

I am thankful for my wife. I never slow down long enough to let her know how much I am thankful for all that she does. She cares for 4 children, a house, a dog and she works. She deserves this blanket! Hope to win it for her. Thanks.

Once a week either Monday or Wednesday I take an hour and a half long restorative yoga class. The instructor wraps us up in the softest blankets and surrounds us with pillows, bolsters and eye pillows. I would love a cozy throw to bring with me.

I always take time to write letters! I have had penpals since elementary school and I always take the time to write them real letters. We both still love getting something in the mail other than bills, so we’ve never gone digital! :-)

I always slow down and take time for a great breakfast in the morning. Waking up earlier is no fun, but the energy you get from taking your morning slowly is worth it! I know it sounds simple, but you have to remind yourself to take those kinds of moments!

I always slow down and take time for my kids. I am their mother and the one who holds all their memories their first tooth, when they walked, when they talked, what they said. I made a promise the day they were each born to always be there for them. If they need me I make time to be there. I jumped on the first train to London (6 hours away) to be with my daughter when she went into labour, I didn’t make the birth but I arrived at 2:00am and went straight to her room and spent the week at the hospital with her (since the baby was 6 weeks early). She needed me and I made sure I was there. We can’t relive the time with our family so you have to take advantage of the time we do get and make it a priority. My husband is the same, the kids always come first. We have 6 between us, and now 3 grandsons too.

I don’t slow down. But I should. After reading others comments I realize that it’s something I need to focus on and make part of my life. Especially slowing down for my hubby. We just had a baby so things seem even more crazy and chaotic.

I was very young when I had my boys..now ages 20 and 17… Times were tough back then and I missed so much just worrying about day to day things like food and rent. Last year and 16 years later my husband and I welcomed our daughter Sadie Alice to the world and I have taken time each day to cherish what a true miracle she is. Each night before her bedtime… We have play time in Mommy’s and Daddy’s big bed then off to the rocking chair for some cuddling before “nigh-nigh”… It’s the highlight of my day and I savor every single second of it.